Doctoral Thesis
Movement ecology of the urban quenda (Isoodon fusciventer): habitat selection, activity patterns, and predator interactions in an urban landscape
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Murdoch University
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60867/00000145
Abstract
Background. As urbanisation increases globally, it becomes critical to preserve and maintain wildlife in cities, for human health benefits and to maintain essential ecosystem services. The increasing urbanisation of Perth, Western Australia, has significant implications for a local urban adapter, the quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), a critical-weight-range, ground-dwelling marsupial.
Aims. My research, initiated and supported by the City of Mandurah, explores how urban gardens, habitat selection, and interactions with domestic pets influence quenda behaviour.
Methods. I used a combination of camera trapping and GPS tracking to identify resource use by quenda in residential gardens and urban bushland reserves.
Key findings. Urban quenda habitat selection is strongly tied to vegetation structure and connectivity. Residential gardens provide supplementary resources, which alter quenda activity patterns and potentially increase their injury risk due to vehicle strike or predator encounters. Despite the predation risks posed by domestic pets, particularly cats, camera trapping and GPS tracking indicates that quenda do not appear to modify their behaviour to avoid these predators, highlighting the importance of pet management strategies to reduce injury risks. Habitat selection from GPS location data show that quenda favour areas with structurally complex vegetation and dense undergrowth, underscoring the need for urban planners to prioritise the conservation and integration of such habitats within urban landscapes. Additionally, the selective use of bushland corridors and road verges, particularly by male quenda, suggests that these areas play a crucial role in maintaining connectivity between habitat patches.
Conclusions. The implications for urban landscape management are clear: strategies must incorporate the preservation and enhancement of suitable habitats, the regulation of pet interactions with wildlife, and the careful design of urban spaces to support the ecological needs of species like the quenda.
Details
- Title
- Movement ecology of the urban quenda (Isoodon fusciventer): habitat selection, activity patterns, and predator interactions in an urban landscape
- Authors/Creators
- Janine Kuehs
- Contributors
- Trish Fleming (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityJill Shephard (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityAmanda Kristancic (Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Identifiers
- 991005904173807891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
- Resource Type
- Doctoral Thesis
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